Audemars Piguet had a strong showing at SIHH 2015. They brought out ceramics, chronographs, tourbillons, and even a concept watch you can’t actually buy. However, with all of those as well as watches made with pieces of a millennia-old meteorite or new space age material, it’s nice to see AP paying service to slightly more pedestrian references. They released several Royal Oak Offshore models. The stand out was the understated and more universally accessible Royal Oak Offshore Diver with a white dial, stainless steel case, and a display caseback.
I don’t normally find white dials appealing, most specifically with divers; however, this ROO Diver is fantastic. The combination of the case, strap, and “Méga Tapisserie” patterned dial all works harmoniously. The features of the dial stand out in stunning clarity and show off AP’s amazing craftsmanship. The newest black dialed version also has a display back and each version will remain at the same price point at around $19,000. AP is sticking with the 42mm case size, which was a solid decision on their part. No word on whether the sapphire case back will be backwards compatible with the previous Royal Oak Offshore Divers but that would be quite the achievement if it was.
The overall look of the Royal Oak Offshore is primarily unchanged, but that falls in line with Audemars Piguet’s current “back to basics” philosophy. Granted, a new dial color isn’t exactly swinging for the fences like that of their Royal Oak Concept RD#1, or some other manufactures’ SIHH 2015 releases, but sometimes less is more. Out of the whole ROO line, the Diver continues to be our favorite.
Featured image courtesy Timezone member, boa2.
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